Saxton Reads! & Reviews

*****
reviewed by CarolK

9780385339407
Half Broke Things by Morag Joss was recommended to me recently by a librarian friend. She said it was in her top 50 books of all-time. The conversation had started when I mentioned how much I had liked the movie Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and how true it stayed to the book. She offered that Half Broken Things was another film adaptation that was excellent. She suggested though, that I read the book first. And I am glad I did.

Right off the bat, the book sounded like it would appeal to me. The jacket blurb lured me in by saying it would be a match for Minette Walters fans and I am one. After reading Half Broken Things, I can see why as it builds great psychological suspense, there are secrets; it's a brooding dark tale that would appeal to Walters' fans. Another good fit might be for fans of Sarah Water's Little Stranger.

It's hard to describe Half Broken Things without giving away too much of the plot. It starts off simply with the narrator Jean, a house-sitter by profession, putting down on paper the sequence of events for all to read, to explain, for us the reader, to understand how she got from one place to here. It's a haunting journey. I felt like all started in black and white and was slowly filled in, in vivid color as the tale was told, finally bursting at it's seams, thought provoking and satisfying in the end. It develops slowly, oh, so slowly, so if you're a fan of fast paced thrillers, this might be a pass.

Joss has a great way of phrasing things. I found myself nodding and saying oh, I like the way she put that. Joss will be added to my list of authors to continue reading. I'm thankful she has other books for me to read.

I'm very curious to see how the movie tells the story. It seems like a hard one to translate into something that would leave me with the same thrill. Hollywood often blows the subtleties of a story such as this, but, I'm going with the recommendation of my friend and giving it a chance.